– Ferdinand Verbiest built a new set of instruments for the Beijing Observatory
– Verbiest was partly responsible for the change of the Chinese calendar
– He introduced the thermometer in China
– He designed the first steam car
– He was appointed mandarin for his services
– He wrote more than thirty books
– He died after a fall with his horse
– Ferdinand Verbiest received a state funeral in China
– In Pittem there is a Ferdinand Verbiest Experience Center